Gulf of Mexico Ocean Current and Marine Plankton Data from Brine Disposal Project

NOAA NCEI Accession 8100585 contains oceanographic and biological data collected in the Gulf of Mexico from September 1977 to April 1981. Texas A&M University submitted the data from the Brine Disposal project, processed into standard NODC formats for current meter, phytoplankton, and zooplankton data. The collection includes time-series measurements of currents and environmental parameters alongside plankton abundance and distribution.

Use Cases

• Analyze current direction and speed time series from moored meters to model coastal circulation patterns.
• Correlate water temperature and salinity measurements with phytoplankton and zooplankton species counts to study ecosystem responses.
• Use reported wind direction, speed, and wave parameters to assess meteorological influences on ocean currents.
• Study zooplankton life history stages and ichthyoplankton data to analyze population dynamics.
• Integrate benthic organism data with current and plankton records for holistic ecosystem assessment.

Strengths

• Data spans over three and a half years from 1977 to 1981.
• Includes multiple data types: physical oceanography (F005) and biological plankton data (F028, F124, F132).
• Current meter data provides values at 10-15 minute intervals.

Limitations

• Specific row counts, column names, and sample sizes are unknown.
• Data is historical and may not reflect current conditions.
• Geographic coverage is limited to the Gulf of Mexico.

Provenance

Source

Texas A&M University submitted to NOAA NCEI.

Collection Method

Moored current meter casts and other sampling instruments.

Time Range

1977-09-14 to 1981-04-20

Freshness

null

Geography

Gulf of Mexico